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Charter Schools
特許學校
Big, not easy
大，但并不簡單
Revolution and innovation in some of America's toughest neighbourhoods
美國的一些“老大難”街區的改革和創新
AS PUPILS file into their classroom at Kipp Renaissance, a high school in a battered corner of north-east New Orleans, each one stops to shake the hand of a history teacher. “Changes”, a rap song by Tupac about the struggles of being poor and black in America, plays quietly in the background. Within a minute or two, the dozen teenagers—all black—are busily filling in test papers. Soon afterwards, Mr Kullman, the teacher, begins rapping himself—hopping around the room demanding quick-fire answers to questions about the civil war. Pupils shout back answers in chorus.
知力復興（Kipp Renaissance）高中座落在新奧爾良東北角的一個破舊的角落里，那兒小學生們排隊進入他們的教室，每個人還要停下來和歷史老師握手?！案淖儭?，是一首來自Tupac的饒舌歌曲，悄然地播放在校園中，講述關于在美國窮困的黑人如何生存。幾分鐘內，那群黑人青少年就忙于填寫測試答卷。很快，考爾曼老師開始開始唱起Rap，在教室里小幅跳動著，要求學生快速回答關于內戰的問題。學生們則不整齊地回答出來。
Kipp Renaissance is one of New Orleans's newer high schools. Since Hurricane Katrina hit in 2005, only six traditional public schools, directly run by the city, remain. Instead 94% of pupils now attend charter schools, which are publicly funded but run by independent non-profit organisations such as Kipp (in full, the “Knowledge is Power Programme”).
知力復興高中是新奧爾良市一所歷史較短的高中。自從2005年卡特里娜颶風襲擊后，直屬市轄的高中僅剩下六所傳統的公立學校。取而代之的是94%的小學生現在都報名特許學校，這些學校是由公眾資助，但由獨立非盈利性組織例如知力經營（全稱是，“知識就是力量項目”）。
Change began in 2003, when Louisiana created a Recovery School District (RSD) to take over and turn around failing schools across the state. Katrina dramatically accelerated the process: the RSD now controls most schools in New Orleans. Since 2008 alone, it has closed about 50 and presided over the opening of an equal number of charters. The district organises admissions and expulsions, and helps allocate school buildings. But staffing, teacher training, transport, catering and much else are left in the hands of schools and the charter chains which run them.
改變從2003年開始了，那時路易斯安那州創辦了一個叫復原學校街區（RSD）組織，目的是取代并扭轉整個州立失敗的教育?？ㄌ乩锬蕊Z風戲劇性地加速了這一進程：RSD現在經營新奧爾良市大部分學校。從2008年一年來說，它關閉了將近50所學校并主持開班了同樣數量的特許學校。街區制定了準入令和驅逐令，幫助分配學校建筑。但是員工雇傭，教師培訓，交通，飲食提供和很多其他的事情都被下放到學校掌管，連鎖的特許學校經營它們。
A decade ago, teachers in New Orleans were demoralised. The city's school district had eight different superintendents in the decade to 2005, none of whom managed to curb corruption or control waste. Affluent whites had fled the system: before Katrina New Orleans was roughly 67% black and 28% white, yet only 6% of public-school pupils were not black.
十年前，新奧爾良市的老師士氣低沉。市里學校街區竟在2005年之前十年有八個主管，沒有人遏制腐敗或是控制浪費。富裕的白人則逃離這一系統：在卡特里娜颶風來臨之前新奧爾良市有大概67%的黑人和28%的白人，然而只有6%的公公學校的學生不是黑人。
Under the new regime, schools have sharply improved. In 2004 just 16.5% of pupils in New Orleans's schools beat Louisiana's state performance score; by the end of the most recent school year, 31.1% did, according to the Cowen Institute at Tulane University. High-school graduation rates have risen from 55% before Katrina to 73% now; drop-out rates have fallen by half.
在新策略下，學校則大幅改觀。2004年，新奧爾良市只有16.5%的小學生達到了路易斯安那州成績考核；在最新的學年里，根據杜蘭大學科文中心數據，31.1%的學生做到了。高中畢業生比例從卡特里娜前的55%增至現在73%；輟學人數則下降了一半。
After Katrina, most of New Orleans's 7,500 unionised teachers were, in effect, fired. Charter schools have hired some back—but they have also hired plenty of new, young ambitious teachers, often straight out of college, who work the long days and extra hours without complaint.
在卡特里娜之后，新奧爾良市7,500名教師中大部分實際上被解雇。特許學校返聘了一部分回來——但他們也雇傭了很多新的、年輕有志的老師們，通常是剛從大學畢業，可以工作很久、加班沒有怨言。
The ability to choose a school matters less than you might expect. Autonomy and central scrutiny matter more. New Orleans's charter schools are probably more closely watched than public schools ever were, and those that fail to meet targets do not get their charters renewed. With academic targets set centrally, schools tend to agree on what works best.
擇校能力僅僅和你可能預想中的部分相關。自治權和中央審核關聯更大。新奧爾良市的特許學?？赡軙纫郧暗墓珜W校受更緊的監察，那些無法達標的學校無法更新特許證件。將完成學術目標設立為中心，學校傾向于許可工作最好的部分。
The challenge now is whether improvement can be sustained. On national tests, Louisiana still comes last or nearly last on a range of measures. What the state deems “mastery” of a subject barely passes for acceptable in other states: by the standards of Massachusetts or Maine, schools in New Orleans remain terrible. Middle-class whites still mostly send their children to private schools.
現在面臨的困難是進步能否被保持住。在國家性考試中，路易斯安那州仍然墊底或是在一定范圍檢測里將近墊底。這個州里被認為是高級學科的課程在其他州僅僅被認為是可以接受的課程：通過對比馬薩諸塞州和緬因州，新奧爾良的學校仍然很渣。中產階級白人們仍然可能將他們的孩子送往私立學校。
One worry is money. Before Katrina, spending per pupil in New Orleans was 7,900 per year, about the same as in Louisiana at large. Last year the figure was 12,797—much more than the state average. Federal money, doled out to help rebuild after the hurricane, now pays for repairing almost all the city's school buildings. But it will not last for ever.
另一擔心則是錢的問題?？ㄌ乩锬戎埃總€小學生身上每年花銷7,900刀，路易斯安那州每個小學生基本相同。去年這個數字是12,797刀—遠遠超出其他州平均水準。用于救助災后重建的聯邦撥款現在正應付著修建城里的學校建筑。但是這不會持續到永遠。
At some point, the city's overworked teachers may begin to struggle. Some critics say reform has been imposed paternalistically by white reformers on black communities, and so has only limited support. Yet in a vote on December 6th a new tax for school maintenance was easily approved by the city's voters. They, and their children, seem to like what they are getting.
某些觀點上，城里過度勞累的老師們可能開始抗議。一些批評家認為改革是白人改革者家長式作風，強加于黑人社區，而且支持效果有限。然而在11月6日的城市投票中，針對學校維修的新稅法投票中被輕易審核批準。他們以及他們的子女看來是喜歡正享受的東西。By：彭威
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